subject: Get Help For A Brain Injury [print this page] Activities that occur daily can cause a head injury; these activities include riding a bicycle, falling down a flight of stairs, performing work, participating in sports, the physical trauma of an assault or a car accident. Sometimes if the brain trauma is mild, the victim may lose their breath or vision temporarily or their head may hurt. There can be, at various times, a serious brain injury that has severe side effects, such as changes in thinking, loss of speech, vision impairment, seizures, paralysis and the risk of being in a coma. Brain hemorrhaging causes many serious injuries when people are in car accidents.
After a person receives a head injury, it is important to call 911 if the person becomes very sleepy, experiences a sudden stiff neck or extremely painful headache, vomits several times, completely loses consciousness or acts strangely. An individual's airway may occasionally be blocked, necessitating CPR. If a spinal injury is in question, the head and neck should be kept still by holding both sides of the head in your hands, keeping the head and spine aligned to prevent movement until someone arrives to help you.
Steadily holding a clean cloth on the wound can also be done to halt bleeding. In cases where the blood has soaked through the cloth, it is important to remember that the cloth should not be removed; instead, you should cover the first cloth with a second cloth. When a person has a skull fracture, it is best to dress the wound with sterile gauze; pressure should not be applied to the injured area.
If the individual vomits, then take care to protect the spine while rolling the person over to avoid choking. It can be very helpful to apply an ice pack to any areas that are swollen. If a person is suffering from a mild head injury, the person should not be allowed to sleep for longer than 2 or 3 hours at a time. It is fine to take Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen, but don't take Aspirin if you have a headache.
After a head injury occurs, emergency medical technicians will perform a non-invasive MRI and CAT scan to look inside the brain. Emergency surgery requiring the drilling of a small hole in the skull should be performed if tests reveal a subdural hematoma; the person needs emergency surgery in order to facilitate the removal of pressure and the clotting of blood. Patients use anticonvulsants like phenytoin to prevent seizures, and diuretics to reduce swelling. Long-term side effects after a brain injury can include the following: general fatigue, a feeling of numbness, difficulty talking, seizures, herniation of the brain and frequent episodes of dizziness, loss of memory, migraine headaches, feelings of anxiety and difficulty in concentrating.
by: kelvin lagrasso
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